


The Weather Outside is Frightful

by astudyinfic



Series: Holidays 2020 [12]
Category: According to Hoyle - Abigail Roux
Genre: All the best tropes, Fluff, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sharing a Bed, Trapped by the Weather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: A surprise blizzard has Wash and Flynn stuck in an abandoned cabin for the night.
Relationships: Eli Flynn/William Washington
Series: Holidays 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036116
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Weather Outside is Frightful

**Author's Note:**

> **Day 12: Together**
> 
> Prompts can be found [here](https://astudyinfic.tumblr.com/post/635866337200259072/decided-it-was-time-for-a-new-holiday-prompt-list).

Wash didn't know how they made it but could only thank the Good Lord above that they did. No one expected the weather to take a turn like this, otherwise, they would never have attempted a prisoner transfer this late in the year. The man could have just stayed in the jail in Lincoln until it was safe to travel once more. Instead, they took a chance, and while they got their prisoner to St. Louis without issue, on the ride back, the brisk wind began to hold a few small, wispy flakes and before long, they could hardly seem more than a horse length in front of them. It was only by sheer luck that they found the abandoned cabin and didn't end up frozen to death somewhere along the trail.

Flynn went to put the horses in the small barn behind the cabin while Wash knocked on the door, not wanting to rush in if someone was actually living there. The lack of light, heat, and life in the place suggested that it had been abandoned long ago. He hoped the former resident wasn't still in there.

Wash waited for Flynn to rejoin him. "Nothing in the barn except some old hay. I think the horses will be okay until tomorrow but we'll need to find food for them as well as us.

Water wouldn't be an issue with the way the snow was coming down, and if they could get a fire going, they would be fine until morning for heat. Food would definitely be their biggest concern if things didn't clear up soon. They hadn't packed for more than a one day trip and were woefully unprepared.

The inside was almost as cold as the outside but it was dry and the old walls stopped the wind, which was all they could ask for. They'd both slept in worse places while in the Army so this wasn't so bad, all things considered. Whoever lived here had moved on long ago but left the furniture and some firewood. Without speaking, Flynn went to start the fire while Wash started to check the cupboards for any food that might be there. 

He wasn't surprised to find there was none.

"We can make it a few days. The horses are more of the concern," Flynn told him as he got the first sparks going in the hearth. Being December, the sun was almost down despite the early hour and they were going to need that fire soon, both for heat and warmth. Both knew how lucky they were that the wood had been stored inside. If it was outside, in this weather, they would have needed to burn the furniture instead. 

As the glow became stronger, Wash took a moment to look around the rest of the room to try and take inventory of what they had. No food but there was a pot near the hearth they could use to melt snow for water if necessary. A chair and table, though both looked a little rickety, particularly for men of their size. 

And a single bed, that was the most stable thing inside the home. It was on a log pedestal of sorts and looked like it would last long after the rest of the home crumbled around it. The mattress was lumpy and wouldn't be comfortable but it would be off the ground and therefore warmer. 

The fact that they would need to share the bed would only make it warmer still. 

He found some candles while looking for food, which would be useful if they let the fire die down (something Wash had no intention of doing as he currently thought he might never be warm again).

With the fire roaring in the hearth, Flynn came to sit next to Wash on the bed. "Not exactly the way I pictured this trip ending up," he muttered, reaching out to take Wash's hand in his own. 

"When does anything ever go according to plan for us?" Since that disastrous trip with Cage and Rose, it seemed their lives were a never-ending series of the unexpected. The most unexpected of it all was the realization while on that steamboat that they felt the same desire for one another. It had been a good few months since then, the two of them sharing the apartment above the Marshal's office like they always had, but had moved into the same bedroom and never looked back. 

How people would react if they ever found out was still a concern but they were professionals and so far, no one seemed the wiser. They were quiet and careful and hoped that it would stay that way for the rest of their lives. 

"True," Flynn agreed with a mirthless laugh, growing more serious to ask, "Do you think we'll be home for Christmas?"

It would be the first Christmas they had spent together as lovers instead of just partners.

"Probably. It's still a few days away. First snow of the season rarely lasts very long." Wash didn't know if he was very convincing since they both knew the first snow of the season was generally a few flurries and not a blizzard. But he remained hopeful. Pessimism would get them nowhere. 

His optimism was interrupted by the way his teeth began to chatter and Wash finally realized they were still wearing their wet clothes and no matter how warm the room got, they would be chilled until they got out of them. He stood and began stripping off his layers and Flynn began to do the same. Just the sight of that skin his lover slowly exposed was enough to heat Wash a little. Once he was naked as the day he was born, Wash grabbed his bedroll from the pack, thankful that it had stayed dry, buried as deep as it was. He grabbed Flynn's too, for good measure, and turned back to his lover who was standing next to the bed, frowning at it. 

"Doesn't look very comfortable, does it?"

It really didn't but it was better than freezing to death, and curling around Flynn made any better a hundred times more appealing as far as Wash was concerned.

"No, not really." But Wash spread out the first bedroll then climbed on top, holding out his hand for Flynn to join him. "Come here."

Not having to be told twice, Flynn climbed into his arms and tucked his head under Wash's chin. In the past few months, Flynn had really grown comfortable with their familiar touches and embraces. He no longer tensed when Wash held him and he held Wash just as often. It was nice to know that Flynn was happier with this than worried about how people might perceive him. 

Wash spread the blanket over them both and they snuggled as close as possible as the fire started to heat the room and they started to heat one another. There was nothing sexual about this, at least right now (Wash suspected that might change when they were both feeling back to normal), just comfort and warmth and contentment. The familiar feeling of his lover's body next to his lulled Wash to sleep far quicker than he would have expected. 

Each got up to stoke the fire at some point during the night, and as Wash expected, they found more than just comfort in one another's arms when they woke at the same time. 

By the next morning, the sun shone bright through the dingy windows of the cabin. They could hear the snow melting off the roof while they laid there. But neither was in a hurry to get up just yet. Happy to be together and safe, as they hoped they always would be.


End file.
